America's Most Popular Halloween Candy By State

Though inflation has hit Americans' grocery budgets this year, any resulting thriftiness seems to go out the window when it comes to Halloween spending. According to the National Retail Federation, seasonal sales took a massive post-pandemic rebound in 2021, rising more than any year in the prior decade, and we've only continued to hit record spending levels every year since. This year, we're projected to spend a record $12.2 billion on Halloween purchases this year, with $3.6 billion of that being spent on candy. So which specific confections are Americans buying in 2023? CandyStore.com comes through once again with a U.S. map projecting the most popular candies state by state.

Each year online vendor CandyStore.com releases insights based on more than 15 years' worth of sales data and publishes a U.S. map noting the most popular candy picks (based on pounds sold in bulk, via CandyStore.com and other outlets) in every state. The map above has many similar favorites as last year: Montana still loves Twix, Michigan is all about Starburst, and my home state of Illinois is still all-in on Sour Patch Kids. (However, the data for Illinois might be skewed by my own personal level of Sour Patch Kids consumption, and if so, my apologies.)

But there are some notable differences, too. For instance, Hot Tamales are now a more popular option than Skittles (cumulatively, based on sales by weight), a fact that could speak to our collective appetite for fiery heat in everything we eat, or perhaps to a diminished availability of Hot Tamales at retail outlets, thus driving people to purchase online. Skittles, meanwhile, are in dead heat with Sour Patch Kids, and exactly half of the top 10 Halloween candies in the United States are chocolate while the others are fruity (or candy corn).

Here's where each state lands in 2023:

• Alabama: Skittles
• Alaskas: Twix
• Arizona: Hershey Kisses
• Arkansas Butterfinger
• California: M&M's
• Colorado: Milky Way
• Connecticut: Almond Joy
• Delaware: Sour Patch Kids
• Florida: Reese's Cups
• Georgia: Jolly Ranchers
• Hawaii: Hershey's Mini Bars
• Idaho: Snickers
• Illinois: Sour Patch Kids
• Indiana: Starburst
• Iowa: Reese's Cups
• Kansas: M&M's
• Kentucky: Reese's Cups
• Louisiana: Lemonheads
• Maine: Sour Patch Kids
• Maryland: Hershey Kisses
• Massachusetts: Butterfinger
• Michigan: Starburst
• Minnesota: Hot Tamales
• Mississippi: 3 Musketeers
• Missouri: Almond Joy
• Montana: Twix
• Nebraska: Sour Patch Kids
• Nevada: Hershey's Mini Bars
• New Hampshire: Reese's Cups
• New Jersey: Tootsie Pops
• New Mexico: Hot Tamales
• New York: Sour Patch Kids
• North Carolina: M&M's
• North Dakota: Hot Tamales
• Ohio: Blow Pops
• Oklahoma: Skittles
• Oregon: M&M's
• Pennsylvania: Hershey's Mini Bars
• Rhode Island: M&M's
• South Carolina: Skittles
• South Dakota: Starburst
• Tennessee: Tootsie Pops
• Texas: Sour Patch Kids
• Utah: Candy Corn
• Vermont: M&M's
• Virginia: Butterfinger
• Washington DC: M&M's
• Washington: Tootsie Pops
• West Virginia: Hershey's Mini Bars
• Wisconsin: Butterfinger
• Wyoming: Reese's Cups

Are you surprised by what your state chose as its go-to Halloween candy? If you live in Ohio, you'd better say yes. Blow Pops? Who actually likes getting to the center of a Blow Pop? Truly horrific. But then, I suppose it is spooky season.